The present invention relates to card games and, more particularly, to a Blackjack card game incorporating a two-card 21 proposition wager.
With the expansion of gaming and the increase in competition, casinos are striving to offer a wider variety of games. Growth in slot machine popularity and the increase in variety of specialty games has resulted in the overall reduction in conventional Blackjack ("21") tables.
Many casinos, however, are reluctant to reduce the number of Blackjack tables because of the inherent game attractiveness to both players and casinos. The game is based on simple concepts and procedures that are readily understood by both casual and regular players. Moreover, the game requires relatively low overhead to facilitate and monitor. In addition, floor space is limited in a casino, and casino operators are reluctant to replace an income-generating Blackjack table with a new game variety.
Although Blackjack is currently the most popular casino game, the majority of Blackjack games feature only one bet most of the time. Virtually every Blackjack game features an optional proposition wager known as insurance. The insurance wager may be placed after the first two cards to each player and dealer have been dealt and in the instance that the dealer face-up card is an Ace. The insurance wager is a bet that the dealer will have a two-card hand total of 21, known as "Blackjack." The odds paid on the insurance wager throughout the industry are 2 to 1. The true odds against a Blackjack hand with an Ace showing, however, are 4 in 13 or 9 to 4 (four ranks of cards of Kings, Queens, Jacks and Tens, known as 10-value cards, versus nine ranks of non 10-value cards). The odds provide an excessive house advantage, and most gaming authors advise against making this wager, except where player known deck composition using skill techniques justifies doing so.
Moreover, as the wager is only available when an Ace is showing (which occurs on average once every 13 hands), many players, particularly novices, are not familiar with the nature of the wager. Also, as the wager is placed during the actual round of the Blackjack game, it must be operated by dealer announcement of the wager option. As dealers know, most players do not make the wager and the payoff is poor, and thus, dealer announcement is usually in a disinterested manner.
An additional problem with the current operation of Blackjack is that the dealer down card, also known as the hole card, may be vulnerable to being spotted by a player accomplice where a dealer is not using best procedure. Therefore, a player may have an option to make a wager knowing the exact outcome. A change in methodology of play to avert this occurrence would be beneficial in protecting the security of the game.